cooking with love and affection…

Chili

We saw the first signs of snow yesterday. It was actually raining with large snowflake globs mixed in. Very cold, very wet. I decided it was time for a warm bowl of chili.

Usually, I make a very simple chili with chicken, veggies, and chili powder, but this weekend I wanted to try something a little different – a spicy, smoky chili with beef and beer. I always get a little nervous venturing away from how I normally do things. I figure, why mess with a good thing. How could I go wrong with a recipe that calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and beer!

We live in a very Polish neighborhood, hence the reason I chose a Polish beer. We discovered Zywiec beer at a restaurant nearby where you can get an appetizer, Polish plate entrée, dessert and a beer all for around $12. This price for the amount and quality of the food is highly unusual in New York.

The best thing about chili is that it is low maintenance and versatile. You can pop all of the ingredients in a pot and in a couple of hours, it’s done. Chili can be enjoyed on its own, on french fries, on hot dogs, on a baked potato, etc. We like our chili with Jiffy cornbread, cheddar cheese, and a cold beer.

Sauté the onions, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, chipotle peppers, oregano, coriander and cayenne pepper. Cook for another few minutes, until the spices are fragrant. Add the beef and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, beer, beef broth or stock, brown sugar and the kidney beans. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partly uncovered until chili has thickened, 1½ to 2 hours. Taste for salt and adjust other spices as needed. You may want to add a few TBS of adobo sauce. Serve with grated cheese and cornbread, if desired.